American Antiquities and Discoveries in the West (1833), written by Josiah Priest, is a 19th-century work that compiles contemporary archaeological findings, traveler accounts, and research to argue that a "partially civilized" race, distinct from modern Native Americans, inhabited North America centuries before Columbus. The book provides detailed descriptions of the "stupendous" earthwork mounds, fortifications, and artifacts found in the Mississippi Valley—particularly in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee—and speculates on the origins and disappearance of this "lost" population.